All news (2778)

29.04.2020
—
EDA
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of global events are being postponed – including the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo and Expo 2020 in Dubai. The Federal Council has confirmed that Switzerland will be showcasing itself at both major events which will now be held in 2021. It also emphasized the importance of such events in terms of economic recovery for the international markets.

24.04.2020
—
Press release
EDA
A flight from India scheduled for tomorrow and one from Africa next week will conclude the largest repatriation operation ever mounted by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The main focus is now on providing support for Swiss citizens who, for a variety of reasons, have been unable or unwilling to return to Switzerland.

22.04.2020
—
EDA
On 24 April 2020 the Federal Council approved a loan of CHF 95.6 million to the Foundation for Buildings for International Organisations (FIPOI) to finance the demolition and reconstruction of one of the headquarters buildings of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva. The works are scheduled over the five-year period from 2022 to 2026.

21.04.2020
—
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, met by videoconference earlier today, 21 April, with his counterparts from the other German-speaking countries. He called on neighbouring countries and the EU to proceed in a coordinated manner to ease COVID-19 restrictions as quickly as possible. He also thanked his counterparts for the excellent cooperation which made the repatriation flights to bring Swiss and foreign citizens home possible.

19.04.2020
—
EDA
On Sunday, 19 April, Switzerland took part in a meeting of G20 health ministers. Discussions focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and addressed in particular the importance of international cooperation and the major role played by the World Health Organization.

16.04.2020
—
EDA
Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer, State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, representing Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, and Thomas Jordan, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, will attend the virtual Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank on 16 and 17 April 2020. The main focus of the Meetings, like the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in the run-up to them, is the global management of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

16.04.2020
—
EDA
Switzerland welcomes the latest prisoner exchange between Kyiv and the non-government controlled areas of eastern Ukraine which took place on 16 April 2020, three months after the last such large-scale exchange. Swiss diplomats working on behalf of the OSCE were instrumental in preparing the release.

16.04.2020
—
EDA
Switzerland allocated CHF 3.074 billion to official development assistance (ODA) in 2019, CHF 42 million more than in the previous year. As a share of gross national income (GNI), Swiss ODA remains stable at 0.44%.

09.04.2020
—
Press release
EDA
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is contributing financially and with relief supplies to help overcome the global COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, it is adapting existing programmes by redirecting CHF 56 million of funding. The SDC has also transferred CHF 18 million to international organisations. It continues to deliver relief supplies to affected countries, including protective suits which were dispatched to Italy on 8 April 2020.

09.04.2020
—
EDA
Switzerland has taken note of the first report of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is responsible for identifying the perpetrators in three instances where chemical weapons were used in the Syrian conflict. Switzerland strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons and demands that those responsible for all violations of international law in Syria be held to account.

03.04.2020
—
Press release
EDA
At its meeting on 3 April 2020, the Swiss Federal Council decided that Switzerland would support a new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) programme intended to improve the production and transmission of meteorological information so that authorities and people can better protect themselves from extreme weather events. The programme will provide UN agencies and humanitarian actors with new services for optimising emergency response, especially in the event of hurricanes or flooding in developing countries.

31.03.2020
—
EDA
At the end of 2019, more than one in ten Swiss nationals lived abroad. Almost two thirds lived in Europe, notably in France. Their number continued to increase, both among the young and old. Overall, the share of women remained greater than that of men, according to the results of the statistics on the Swiss abroad from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Media (2467)

05.06.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter informed the Federal Council at its meeting on 5 June that the Federal Department of Justice and Police FDJP intends to lift the existing entry restrictions applicable with regard to all EU/EFTA states and the United Kingdom as of 15 June.

04.06.2020 —
Press release
EDA
On Thursday, 4 June, President Simonetta Sommaruga represented Switzerland at the Global Vaccine Summit. The summit, which was originally due to have taken place in London at the UK’s invitation, was instead conducted by video conference. Among the issues addressed was how any future vaccine against COVID-19 could be made globally accessible.

03.06.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is working internationally to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Ensuring that governments inform each other about their civilian and military missile programmes and planned missile launches is an important means of reducing distrust between states. This is one of the aims of the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC), which Switzerland has chaired since 3 June 2020.

02.06.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis attended the ministerial meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on 2 June 2020 by videoconference. The humanitarian multilateral Committee coordinates aid funding to the Palestinian Authority. The virtual meeting focused on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Palestinian economy and efforts to resume the dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

02.06.2020 —
Press release
EDA
The civil war in Yemen has created one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. People in Yemen need urgent assistance. But ongoing hostilities and major administrative and operational restrictions are making humanitarian programmes increasingly difficult to implement. At a pledging conference co-hosted by the UN and Saudi Arabia, Switzerland has announced that it will make CHF 12 million available for measures to assist the Yemeni people. The international community has pledged a total of USD 1.35 billion towards relief efforts to help the affected population.

28.05.2020 —
Press release
EDA
On Thursday 28 May 2020, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, took part in a video conference on development funding at the invitation of the UN, Canada and Jamaica. The conference, which involved numerous heads of state and government, marks the start of a longer process which will focus on development funding at a global level during the pandemic and beyond.

27.05.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is to contribute CHF 879 million to the coffers of the International Development Association (IDA/World Bank) and of the African Development Fund (ADF) to help fight poverty, promote sustainable development and deal with the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the world’s poorest countries. Switzerland is also contributing CHF 115 million to the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). These decisions were taken by the Federal Council on 27 May.

22.05.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Large numbers of migrants living and working abroad send part of their wages to their families back home on a regular basis. Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, low-income countries have seen a dramatic fall in these remittances from abroad. Switzerland has therefore been working closely with the United Kingdom to call on the international community to keep remittance channels open and give the poorest communities continued access to these vital sources of income. The joint appeal, which is being launched today, also demonstrates the close ties between Switzerland and the UK, according to Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis.

19.05.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), participated in a “webinar” videoconference with high-ranking representatives from the fields of peace policy and good offices to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on efforts to promote peace and security. Hosted by the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, the conference focused on current and future challenges and produced recommendations for further action.

30.04.2020 —
Press release
EDA
Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. The pandemic is compounding an already precarious situation in countries beset by poverty, armed conflict or natural disasters. To mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, the Federal Council has decided to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a CHF 200 million interest-free loan and to contribute CHF 25 million to an IMF rapid credit facility to help countries address the pandemic. A further CHF 175 million is to be allocated to help strengthen internationally active organisations and international cooperation to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. With these funds, Switzerland is showing solidarity during the global crisis.

24.04.2020 —
Press release
EDA
A flight from India scheduled for tomorrow and one from Africa next week will conclude the largest repatriation operation ever mounted by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The main focus is now on providing support for Swiss citizens who, for a variety of reasons, have been unable or unwilling to return to Switzerland.

09.04.2020 —
Press release
EDA
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is contributing financially and with relief supplies to help overcome the global COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, it is adapting existing programmes by redirecting CHF 56 million of funding. The SDC has also transferred CHF 18 million to international organisations. It continues to deliver relief supplies to affected countries, including protective suits which were dispatched to Italy on 8 April 2020.

On 2 and 3 February 2012 in Bamako, Switzerland and its cooperation partner Mali met to take stock of the ongoing cooperation between the two countries and to launch their new strategy for the years 2012 to 2015. This new strategy formulates Swiss cooperation’s major points of thrust in this west African country over the next four years. The Memorandum of Understanding signed on this occasion paves the way to a new period of cooperation between Mali and Switzerland and defines their common perspectives for the coming years.

The ADEA Triennale on education and training in Africa brings together a range of people working for education on the continent: government ministers, representatives of bilateral and multilateral agencies, members of research networks, NGOs, the private sector and socio-professional organisations. Adapting education systems to the challenges of sustainable development is the focus of the broad dialogue. The event takes place from 12-17 February 2012 in Ouagadougou and is organised by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), a longstanding partner of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

After a year and a half of intensive work, the United Nations High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability has published its final report entitled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing”. It contains 56 specific recommendations for achieving the goal of development that is truly sustainable. The recommendations focus on a growing economy which reduces poverty and social disparities and respects the natural limits of our planet.

Thousands of people are still living in appalling conditions in the Horn of Africa – in squalid accommodation, without clean drinking water and without access to schooling. Manuel Bessler, the delegate of Swiss Humanitarian Aid, visited Somalia and Kenya in January 2012 to see the situation for himself. What he saw there confirmed him in his conviction that the Horn of Africa must remain a focus of Switzerland’s humanitarian aid.

09.11.2011 —
EDA
The President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), met the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, for talks in Zurich on 9 November 2011. The topics of the discussion included the Swiss-EU relations, the debt crisis in the eurozone, co-operation on tax issues, and selected international issues.

11.07.2011 —
EDA
Switzerland strengthens its presence in Benghazi, and sends a diplomat to the East Libyan city for the purpose of opening a liaison office. This will be in addition to the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit programme office which has already been up and running for the last four months.

11.03.2011 —
EDA
It is with great consternation that the Federal Council has learned of the natural disaster in the northeast of Japan. Switzerland is ready to send emergency aid to the area, and has already submitted a corresponding offer to the Japanese government.

10.02.2011 —
EDA
On Thursday, 10 February 2011, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey presented the report “The Blue Peace: Rethinking Middle East Water” to the Swiss Press Club in Geneva. Supported by Switzerland and by the Swedish government, the report compiles a list of 10 recommendations whose objective is to contribute to building peace and to reducing the conflicts in the Middle East thanks to a sustainable trans-border management of water in the region.

06.01.2011 —
EDA
6 January 2011 marks 50 years of Switzerland representing American interests in Cuba. Switzerland accepted the mandate in 1961 following the Cuban revolution which led to the break-off of relations between Cuba and the US.